The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmyacock@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe praised the Sunland Baptist Academy’s senior boys team for its victory in the Obie Wilchcombe/Derek ‘Bookie’ Nesbitt Basketball league championship after an impressive undefeated regular season.

It’s the first time that the school has won the senior league championship, and they completed the season unbeaten with seven wins from seven games.

During a special assembly at the Grand Bahama school yesterday to celebrate the Stingers’ win, Mr Wilchcombe commended the 15-member team and encouraged students to work hard and to “never give up on their dreams.”

The minister said Bahamians have been excelling in sports for many years, including at basketball, baseball, track and field and football. He said many were afforded the opportunity to attend college on athletic scholarships.

Mr Wilchcombe also stressed the imprtance of academics and said student athletes must also strive to achieve high academic performance.

During the ceremony, it was announced that centre Andrew Roker had been offered a full scholarship to Walters State College in Tennessee. “I am excited about this great opportunity,” said the 18-year-old who only started playing basketball two years ago. “I started late and I was never really into basketball before, but when I came to Sunland Ms (Connie) Basden and the coaches started talking to me about it and introduced me to the game. (But) I went on a summer trip with them and just fell in love with the game, and they trained me.”

Roker said he was very nervous going into the interview with the coach at Walter State. “I was also excited at the same time because I knew it was a great opportunity for me.”

Coaches Jay Philippe and Marco Cooper, both former students of Sunland Baptist School who received college basketball scholarships, were also praised for coaching the team to a successful season.

Mr Philippe said he was very proud of the team. “They worked really hard during the regular season league, which started in January and ended the second week in February. They overcame a lot of adversity throughout the season, but eventually went undefeated and won the championship from Tabernacle Baptist Academy, which is a very tough team to beat.”

Ms Basden, the former coach who took many athletes into her home, said it was a proud moment to see the players she coached, supported and cared for, coaching and leading the basketball team to victory. Since 1999, she has taken and housed 63 athletes attending Sunland into her home.

“It was very successful having 25 athletes go off to college on full basketball, track and field and baseball scholarships,” she said.

Ms Basden has been a volunteer coach at the school for 24 years. She was impressed that Philippe and Cooper returned home after college to give back to the school. Philippe attended Webber International University, where he excelled in basketball and academics and graduated with an MBA. He was also offered an assistant coach position with the university.

Ms Basden said: “I have had so many male coaches come in and assist and help me and I never felt confident enough to release the team to anyone because I spent so many years building it, and I did not want to leave it with anyone that I could not trust and have confidence in, to continue on my legacy,” she said.

Mr Wilchcombe also recognised sprinter Brianne Bethel, a 16-year-old student who is making waves in track and field as the top athlete in the 100m and 200m in The Bahamas. She was also a member of the Bahamas women’s relay team competing in the recent World Relays in New Providence.

“Her talent will lift her to the horizons beyond and she will cause dreams to come true,” he said.